CLARKSVILLE - Dardanelle's defeat of Clarksville on Friday night allowed the Sand Lizards to finish the regular season undefeated in 4AAAA Conference play.

The Panthers started the game off by scoring a quick four points in the paint, but Dardanelle's Octavius May hit a 3-pointer, and C.J. Chaten to made a layup to give the visitors from Yell County the lead.

The lead would fluctuate between the two teams until the Lizards pulled ahead with two quick 3-pointers by Chaten and Matt Nuckols. Dardanelle went into the second quarter with a 16-10 lead.

Clarksville shot the ball well in the second period, as Ellis Foster and Josh Ridell kept Clarksville in the game going and end the first half with the score knotted 32-all.

"I'm so proud of our group for what they have accomplished during the regular season," Dardanelle coach Shane Thurman said. "You could just see how badly they wanted this tonight. The second half was fantastic in terms of hustle and effort. Our captains, C.J. (Chaten) and Matt (Haney) provided great leadership for us tonight, and Matt Nuckols made a big contribution off the bench."

The third quarter was all Dardanelle as the Lizards went on a 12-0 run at the 5-minute mark, and would continue to drop shots from the outside.

Haney hit two 3-pointers in the quarter, and Josh Manaat held the fort in the lane for Dardanelle. When the buzzer sounded on the quarter, Dardanelle held a 60-40 lead. The Panthers only mustered eight points in the quarter, and Dardanelle scored 28.

The Sand Lizards and Clarksville started subbing at the 4-minute mark, and when the final quarter came to an end, Dardanelle walked away with a 77-55 victory to give the Lizards their first-undefeated conference run since 1988.

Chaten led all scorers on the night with 26 points, followed by Haney with 18. Manaat had 10, May with eight, and Nuckols had six.

Calvin Sims led Clarksville with 14, followed by Foster with 12, and Ridell with 11.

Dardanelle 61,

Clarksville 60

The Lady Panthers led at the end of every quarter except for the fourth, as the Lady Sand Lizards would win the game 61-60.

It was a game with two diverse styles. Clarksville, a post-heavy team that like to run half-court offenses and slowing the game down going up against Dardanelle. The Lady Lizards are a guard-heavy team, with smaller posts who run the court with the guards.

The battle on the night was to see who could force the other team to play their kind of ball, and for the first three quarters, that team was Clarksville.

"We knew both teams would really want to win this game," Dardanelle coach Tim Aynes said. "This was basically for a regionals appearance, and for a share of the conference title.

"It was a war out there. We had to start a bigger lineup than we usually do because of Clarksville's size. And we we were able to come out of here with a big victory. There is a lot of pride in that."

The first quarter saw Clarksville go with a 6-0 run, and exit the quarter with a 14-13 lead. Dardanelle would take the lead in the second quarter, but would relinquish is very quickly as Clarksville's Whitney Bateman hit a 3-pointer. The Lady Panthers again made a short run before the quarter ended, and went into the locker room with a 39-32 lead.

During the third quarter, Clarksville appeared to put the game out of reach for the Lady Lizards. At the 3-minute mark, the Lady Panthers went ahead by 13 points over the Lizards.

Thanks to good shooting by Crystal Kellybrew and Jasmine Byers, along with tough full-court defensive pressure by Heather Canerday, the Lady Lizards pulled within five to go into the fourth quarter down 50-45.

Dardanelle continued to fight during the fourth, taking its first lead since the second quarter when Byers made a layup and got fouled. Her free throw gave Dardanelle a one point lead with 5:44 left.

The score would continue to go back and forth until Kayla Ludgood made an old-fashioned 3-point play to pull Clarksville to within 60-58.

Kellybrew made a free throw with 19 seconds left to give Dardanelle a 3-point lead, and the Lady Lizards were able to hang on for the win.

Kellybrew lead the Lady Lizards with 22 points, followed by Byers with 16.

Bateman led Clarksville in scoring with 13, followed by Ludgood with 10.